AmeCan Ice Creamery
by Ashynarr
Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.
1. Cookies N Cream: Meeting PDA

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: Fluff, AmeCan, Nyo!Can, Cookies N Cream, slight UKCan

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Emmmmm," Alfred catches the Canadian in a hug right outside the meeting room. "Can we go home now?"

Emilie partially returns the hug, her other arm still holding her folders. "Sorry Al, but I still need to talk to Arthur before we can go."

"Is it really that important?" He pulls back slightly to look at her properly, giving her a hopeful look.

"Yes, Al, it is." She smiles, making his chest flutter and flip even after all these years; Alfred grins dopishly when she leans up to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I promise it'll only take a few minutes, okay?"

"Alright…" He concedes, knowing that being patient now would mean happier girlfriend later, which only meant good things. He places a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead, breathing in the light strawberry smell of her hair. "I'll just wait for you by the front door."

"Thank you, Al." Emilie surprises him when he starts to move away by pulling him back into a proper kiss - not that he's complaining, _god_ no. They ignore the annoyed cough to get their attention, pulling apart with matching smiles.

"Hey Artie," Alfred greets the Brit, grinning winningly even at the poorly veiled glare sent at him, "I was just heading out. I'll catch up with ya later, alright?"

With that he walks away, whistling to himself as he heads towards the entrance, hearing Emilie apologize for making their former caretaker wait behind him. If it were anyone else, Alfred might have lingered around a corner just in case she needed help, but Em was something special; he'd learned first hand that even if she was small she could kick your ass thoroughly, and be pretty dang scary (and hot) while she was doing it. She'd be fine, no question.

Alfred sighed happily. Damn, was he a lucky man.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: First official drabble for the new archive! This is parallel to a blog I made on tumblr for the same purpose, which happens to be very well organized and divided into the 28 'flavors' of the three pairings. I'm always open for suggestions, but know there's stuff I will and won't do.

Anyways, yes, I'll use ice cream flavors to denote the specific pairing, so see if you can learn them all (or guess at flavors correctly.)

The blog is the-amecan-icecreamery, by the way.


	2. Moose Tracks: Kiddie Crush

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: 2pCan/1pNyoCan (sort of?), side 1pCan/1pNyoAme, human AU

Kiddie Crush

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Thank you for agreeing to keep an eye on him on such short notice," Matthew smiled sheepishly at Emilie, quickly shrugging on his jacket. "I don't know why the usual sitter cancelled last minute like that-"

"It's alright," Emilie replied, handing her flustered friend the wallet he'd accidentally shoved into her hands while diving through his pockets for the car keys. "Alex sounds like a sweetheart from what you've told me of him; I'm sure he'll be fine with me for a night."

"I hope so. He's usually shy around strangers, but I told him a little bit about you, so he should be okay." He turned to the stairway, raising his voice. "Ellie, Alex! Emilie's here!"

"Coming!" It wasn't a minute later that Eleanor descended, eyelids dusted blue and cheeks dusted pink despite the hurry she had likely been in to apply it. "Sorry for the wait, Mattie."

"It's fine." He planted a light kiss to the side of her nose. "Where's Alex?"

"Reading in his bed." She returned the favor, turning slightly to smile at Emilie. "Thank you so much for this."

Emilie smiled, waving it off. "It's fine, really - you two go have fun on your date."

The couple stumbled out the door, closing it behind themselves as almost an afterthought. Emilie shook her head in amusement, taking her jacket off with care and hanging it from the coat rack before heading upstairs.

Which door had Matthew said Alex's room was behind again?

The first door she checked revealed the bathroom - helpful, but not what she was looking for. The second door she tried gave her better luck; her friend's eight-year-old son was curled up in the corner of his bed, leaning against the wall as he quietly read what looked to be the first Harry Potter novel.

She pressed her fingers to her smiling lips, strongly considering leaving the boy to his reading. It almost felt like a crime, really, to interrupt him when he was so immersed. She could introduce herself later, when (or if) he decided to come downstairs for dinner.

The door, of course, decided to squeak on its hinges as she slowly closed it again, causing both of them to startle. Alex now stared at her, curling in just a bit more with a slight confused frown. Emilie smiled kindly at him as she opened the door again, hoping he hadn't scared him too badly.

"Hello there, Alex, I'm Emilie. Your usual sitter couldn't make it, so your parents asked me to look after you instead."

"Hello…" Alex murmured, hiding the lower part of his face behind his book.

Matthew wasn't joking about his kid being shy; it was actually sort of cute. "You seem like you're okay with your book right now, so I'll let you keep reading. I'll be downstairs if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded in understanding, watching her as she closed the door. Shaking her head with a huff of amusement, she returned downstairs to where her bag was sitting, digging around in it a bit until she pulled out her own book, The Princess Bride.

(Emilie had loved the movie when her friends had shown it to her, and as was her habit she was now reading the book version of it to see what the differences were. It was a guilty pastime, but one she'd never give up.)

In fact, she hadn't even noticed she wasn't alone in the living room anymore until she'd finished the first chapter; a brief creak drew her attention to the doorway that Alex was just ducking behind.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come downstairs. Did you want dinner?"

Alex peered back into the room after a minute, blushing lightly. " 'm not hungry."

"Oh, alright then," She patted the seat beside her. "Do you want to come sit with me?"

His eyes widened slightly at the offer, flickering from her face to the couch and back before nodding once; only after he'd clambered onto the couch next to her did she notice he was still clutching his book from earlier.

"What part of the book are you at?" Emilie asked, apparently reminding him that he was in fact still holding onto it and making the blush reappear.

"The troll. Harry and Ron just locked it in the room."

"Oh, that's a good scene. Do you like the book so far?"

Alex nodded, holding it close.

"That's good; it's one of my favorite series. I read all the books when they first came out. I hope you like all the other ones too."

"Thanks…" He then noticed her own book, still lying in her lap. "What book is that?"

"This?" Her hand settled onto it. "_The Princess Bride._"

His nose scrunched slightly. "Is it a romance like dad likes to read?"

She laughed softly. "Sort of, but its also about defeating an evil king who wants to start a war."

Alex looked back to the book with much more interest, and with a smile she held it up slightly.

"Would you like to read it with me?"

"...okay."

By the time she was reading the last paragraph, it had gotten dark, dinner long forgotten in favor of the story. Alex was on the cusp of dozing off, leaning against her with half-shut eyes as he watched her turn the pages as she read. They both started when the front door opened, neither having heard the car pull into the driveway, signalling the return of his parents.

"We're home!" Eleanor called, focused on kicking off her heels in the doorway. "I hope Alex was- oh."

She'd finally looked up to the couch, only to see her son there sitting next to Emilie. The boy curled into himself slightly and waved. "Hi, ma."

"I see you two have been getting along." Matthew came in behind his wife, looking less surprised than her at the development. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"-Oh, I completely forgot!" Emilie placed a hand to her mouth, flushed in embarrassment. "We both just got so absorbed in the book that we lost track of time…"

"I can make you something really fast if you like," Matthew offered.

Emilie shook her head. "It's alright, I should be getting home anyways."

"You sure?" Eleanor glanced from Alex to Emilie. "We'd be making Alex something anyways."

"It's fine, really." She stood up, not noticing the pout Alex was now sporting, although his parents did. "Did you two have a nice date?"

"Oh, it was great! Matt found the nicest place to have dinner down by the park." Eleanor enthused. "How about you two?"

Emilie smiled. "Alex was a sweetheart. We managed to get through all of The Princess Bride."

A raised eyebrow. "That book? I thought he didn't like romance."

"I think he liked it more for the fighting scenes." Emilie grabbed her bag, tucking the book away and pulling it over her shoulder.

"Ah, that makes more sense." Eleanor pulled out her wallet, handing a twenty over to Emilie.

"Oh no, I couldn't-" She started, only to be cut off.

"Alex doesn't hit it off with a lot of people, especially as fast as he has with you. You deserve it." At the look she got, Emilie relented, taking the bill and tucking it away as well.

Alex had joined them at some point, rocking on his heels and biting his lip. Emilie crouched down to be level with him, smiling. "It was nice hanging out with you today, Alex. Maybe I'll be able to come hang out again sometime if your parents ask."

He nodded, hesitating before moving forward to hug her. "Bye, Miss Emilie." He then pulled back, paused, then placed a fast kiss to her cheek before flushing heavily and retreating upstairs.

Emilie blushed in startled amusement, while Eleanor cooed over her little boy's first crush and Matthew shook his head. Definitely an interesting evening.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: First official story for the blog and this archive! Friends who read it was reportedly 'died of fluff'. I believe that's a positive review.

Also, because I forgot to post it at first last chapter, the blog is the-amecan-icecreamery on tumblr. Go check it out!


	3. Cookies N Cream: Princess' Dragon (1)

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: 1pAme/1pNyoCan, fantasy AU, dragon!Alfred

First request fill, for princessofthereach, who wanted AmeFem!Can (but didn't give me a prompt). This sort of popped into my head while I was thinking over what to write, and I loved it too much to let it go. It also sorta got out of hand, so this is only part one of two or three depending on how it goes from here.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Emilie was six when her parents sent her away, wrapped in confusion and peasant's clothing as she was ghosted away in the dead of night for the far reaches of the kingdom. She'd only half an hour previously been woken by her tearful parents, both of whom promised that one day they'd bring her home once she was safe. She did not understand why she was being taken from her home, having never been told of why everyone watched her so closely.

Emilie, the crown princess of the Kingdom of Andaca, was from birth cursed to have her heart stolen from her by a dragon, the most terrifying creature to rule the western mountains.

The warlock who'd casted this curse had laughed in some private amusement after this declaration, vanishing in smoke as the guards futilely attempted to seize the madman.

Having no other means of protecting their firstborn, the king and queen had increased the guards around and within the castle to keep out intruders, and made certain that the young princess was always being watched by at least one of their loyal retainers. They also set out patrols to drive out the dragons who had moved too far within the borders, determined to keep the beasts far away from the heart of the kingdom.

In the center of all of this, Emilie was nearly lost under the constant gazes that made her choke on her words and fears. As a child she was quiet and awkward, unable to make friends her own age and unable to bond with the adults the surrounded her and stifled her. Books were her only relief, an escape to places far away from the grey and white walls of her home.

But all of that was gone now, quickly fading from view as the trees grew larger and closed around the horse and riders. Emilie found herself scared of this wide world, for the first time wishing to be back in the safe embrace of her bed. The night seemed to drag on, the only sign of progress the movement of the horse beneath her and the patches of moonlight the streamed in from above.

The journeyed for three days, travelling at night and resting at an inn during the daylight hours. Emilie would cry herself to sleep silently in the uncomfortable beds, ate the bland food without a peep, and clung tight to the unknown rider who took her further and further from home as they rode.

On the fourth day, they reached the eastern mountains, beyond which Emilie knew from her lessons was the kingdom of Meracia, which overlooked the grand Caltatin Sea. The going was slower, though, as the mountain paths were not always safe, and several times they had to turn back for lack of path.

One such detour turned out to be a trap - the falling rocks spooked the horse, sending the riders to the ground and dazing the princess. They were surrounded by bandits, all much crueler and more terrifying than the storybooks had seemed to make them.

Then again, those bandits had been going up against knights and heroes, not a frightened little girl and her escort.

In his favor, the man had tried his best to protect her, but he was clearly untrained in combat. She'd screamed as she watched him fall, the bandit's cruel laughter making it all the worse. Emilie kicked and screamed as she was dragged up by her hair, tears staining her dirt-smudged face. They howled in amusement at her struggles, jabbing at each other with words she didn't know but made her body crawl.

One hand had already reached under her shirt, making her squirm away futilely, when a screech sounded above them. They all looked up at the same time, the bandits rapidly paling as a large form of blue and white quickly descended towards them. It took a second for her to recognize it for what it was-

"Dragon!" One of the bandits yelled, all of them now scrambling for cover, but it was too late - the beast hit the ground, sending up dust and rocks as it snarled at them. The bandit who had been dragging her along quickly let go, more concerned with his own life than that of some child, no matter how pretty.

With a few more swipes and snarls all the others were gone, leaving Emilie alone with the massive beast. A part of her yelled at her, demanding her to run as far as she could, but she was frozen in place, unable to tear her wide gaze away from the beast that was staring down the path the bandits had fled along.

It snorted, ruffling its wings. "Stupid bandits…" It complained to itself, the voice not quite fitting with what she imagined the beasts to sound like. "Attacking innocent travelers like that… don't they know better?"

It finally noticed her, seeming to shift back as it looked her over. It didn't feel like the stares of the castle, but it was still unsettling, making her shrink into herself. Surprisingly, the dragon seemed to make itself a bit smaller too, less threatening.

"Hey, you alright there? They didn't do anything to you, right?"

She shook her head slightly, tears welling up as she tried to swallow back her fear. It- _He?_ stepped forward, head lowered so that she could better see his face.

"Hey, hey, don't cry, please-" His voice was pleading, soft in a way she wasn't used to. "-I promise I won't hurt you, dragon's honor."

Emilie sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "I wanna go home…"

"Do you remember where that is?" He asked, patient. "I could take you there if you like."

She almost agreed, before remembering why she was so far from home in the first place. Her head hung, her chest aching deeply. "They don' want me anymore."

"Are you sure?" His face furrowed in what she realized was concern. She nodded her head, and he sighed. "Aw man… do you know anyone else who can take care of you?"

Again, she shook her head. He frowned. "Dang… and Art's not around, so he can't help…"

The dragon stepped forward, making her shiver again, only to be surprised at the gentle way in which he picked her up, cradling her to his chest with one large paw. "Shh… I promised I wouldn't hurt ya, and I'm gonna keep it."

Flying was much different from riding a horse, Emilie quickly discovered. Each wingbeat dipped and rose in time with his breaths, each pulse warm against her. The claws her small hands clang to desperately were smooth and steady, enclosing but not trapping like she'd feared. The view was breathtaking once the initial panic had passed, the snow of the high peaks soft and bright from this distance.

It didn't take long for them to begin descending, confusing her until she saw the large cavern start to emerge from the surrounding terrain. Was this his den, then? It seemed so… small.

The dragon, still cradling her, sheathed his wings once he touched down, heading down the sloping tunnel until they emerged in a much larger cavern. She was surprised at how well lit it was, eyes darting between the holes in the wall where she could see fires burning without any sort of fuel.

"Art made those so he could make his way around without stumbling over everything. I don't mind 'em - they make the place feel a bit more comforting, even if I don't need the light."

He finally set her down, her feet landing softly on on smooth stone floor. As she took in her new surroundings, he shuffled his way over to another doorway that was much smaller than the one they'd entered in from. He didn't attempt to enter though, only sticking his long neck through for a minute, returning with what she realized as he approached was a basket of berries and fruit.

Emilie's stomach growled - she hadn't eaten since sunrise, and it was well into the afternoon now. He set the basket down in front of her, stepping back and making himself comfortable while she eagerly dug into the sweet and tart treats. She managed to make her way through a fourth of the basket before she felt full, sitting back and wiping at the stains on her face in a way her mother would have chastised her for.

The remainder of her parents made her tear up again, startling the dragon.

"Were the berries bad? Oh man, I should have checked before I gave them to you, but Art said he put spells on them to keep them fresh-"

She shook her head, unable to bring herself to explain how much she missed home. The dragon had been very kind so far, so different from all the stories she'd ever been told, but she still wasn't sure he would get it - dragons didn't really have families, did they? But he kept mentioning someone called 'Art'...

"Do you want to get some sleep? I can show you where Art's bed is-"

Sleep did sound nice, actually. She nodded, awkwardly getting to her feet at the same time as the dragon, following him as he made his way to the other opening in the cavern, which opened up into a smaller room containing a small mound of treasure. For a brief wild moment she wondered if she would have to sleep on _that_ before he directed her attention to the small, human sized cot to the side.

Well, it probably wouldn't be any less comfortable than the inn beds.

To her surprise, it was much softer than it had looked, the blankets warm and comfortable when she wrapped herself in them. It wasn't her old bed, but it was nice. Yawning, she allowed herself to fall over so her head rested on the pillow, eyes slipping shut as the day finally caught up to her. She barely even noticed the dragon walking back out to the other room, leaving her on her own for the first time in her life.

~0~0~

His name was Alfred.

Emilie found he was more than willing to talk about anything she showed interest in, and slowly she allowed herself to be more forward, her natural curiosity overcoming her fading fear and sorrow. She learned all about his warlock friend, who was actually called Arthur, and was shown the library the man had collected in one of the side caverns.

"Just make sure to put them back where you found them," He'd muttered to her as she'd gaped. "He gets really fussy when his books aren't where they should be."

She also learned that he had moved here from the western range because of the increasing competition from dragons being forced back by the kingdom, and how he was the only one in the area because most dragons weren't fond of the heavy human traffic that went through year-round.

"Don't you get lonely, though?" She'd asked, shocked that any being could willingly live so far from others.

"Nah," He'd replied casually, ruffling his wings in a shrug. "I have Art to hang out with me."

"But he isn't here anymore."

"He'll be back eventually, and besides, I have you around for now, right?"

Emilie was also beginning to learn her way around the kitchen, which while clearly designed for an adult didn't pose too much trouble for her once she found the footstool. Her diet mostly consisted of what she could find in the cupboards and whatever Alfred brought back when he went hunting. He'd clearly learned how to cook the meat so that it was safe for her to eat, his aside of having to spare his poor cavern from being smoked out every week making her giggle in mirth.

It was all so different from what she was used to - struggling to dress herself, having to get her own food, and in one unfortunate moment of thoughtlessness scraping her knees when she tripped over a book that'd fallen to the floor and having no one to wrap it - but she had never felt more relaxed in her life. Alfred held no expectations for her, didn't tell her what she could or could not do beyond what would keep her from hurting herself, and was kind and thoughtful.

He was everything she'd ever wanted in a friend, so she could hardly be faulted for getting attached to him in the two weeks it took for Alfred's warlock friend to finally return.

Arthur hadn't even noticed her at first, too busy grousing to Alfred about the 'bloody horrid journey' and how he refused to ever set foot on a ship from Naips or Laug again. She'd ducked into a small alcove as he'd passed by for the library, the bag over his shoulder much larger than she'd expect.

"Alfred, have you been moving my things again?" He'd called out, returning from the library with no bag in sight.

Alfred poked his head in, huffing. "No, I haven't. You've scolded me enough about that."

"Then please, tell me who else could have moved all my books around and left the bed a right mess-"

He locked eyes with her, tired green widening as it registered her presence. She shrank into herself slightly, not moving as the man shut his eyes and breathed in. "Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a child here?"

"Because I rescued her." At the skeptical look he received, he continued quickly. "Look, she and the guy she was with were attacked by bandits, and she has nowhere else to go. It's not like I could just leave her there on her own!"

Arthur sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "And when, pray tell, were you going to take her back to her family?"

Alfred ducked his head. "She said they didn't want her."

The warlock seemed to have a complete reversal of personality after that, his face much softer as he looked back to her. "It would probably still be better for her to be raised by a normal family, not a couple of recluses like us."

"Well, it's not like I could just bring her into town and ask if anyone was interested, now could I?" Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Damnit, I know that." Arthur bristled, shooting a glare at Alfred before calming himself down again. "To be frank, I'm glad you didn't get it in your head to try. Lord only knows how that would have ended."

"Rude." Alfred finally turned his attention to Emilie, who had been keeping quiet out of habit - children weren't supposed to heard, after all. "Hey, would you be alright with going to this guy to town to see if anyone would take you in? I promise he won't try and eat you, no matter how scary his eyebrows are."

"Hey!" Arthur snapped, eyes twitching. "You promised to lay off of that!"

"I promised to lay off commenting on your cooking, not your eyebrows."

The warlock huffed, returning his attention to Emilie. "I apologize for you having to put up with him for this long - he can barely behave himself at the best of times, and when I'm around, well-" He waved between himself and the dragon, who was attempting to look innocent in the whole matter and failing.

"It's alright; he's been very nice to me so far." She replied, straightening up and biting at her lip. "Do I have to go? I won't be any trouble, I promise-"

"I hardly believe you would be, dear." Arthur replied kindly. "But as I already stated, this isn't really a suitable place for a young girl like yourself to grow up. Wouldn't you rather have a regular family to grow up with?"

She looked down at her dirty shoes, saying nothing. It would be nice, but a part of her was terrified that whoever took her in would eventually send her away as well. She swallowed, wondering if that was what these two were trying to do as well. They had seemed so nice, too…

"Hey, don't cry, Em." Alfred stepped forward, nudging her gently. "We aren't trying to get rid of you, promise. We just want you to be safe."

"Really, Alfred? Must you shorten everyone's name?"

"Well, Emilie's a bit of a mouthful, am I right? And she hasn't complained about it yet, so I'm pretty sure she's okay with it."

Arthur froze in place. "...Emilie? As in, the princess of Andaca?"

She nodded her head slightly, flushed in embarrassment.

"Wait, _princess_?" Alfred looked back and forth between the two. "You gotta be kidding me, right? Why would a princess be all the way out here in the mountains?"

"I would assume her parents were sending her into hiding, although why I couldn't even begin to fathom." Arthur rubbed at his face, looking older than he had a few moments ago. "This makes things a lot more complicated."

"You're telling me. A princess, wow." Alfred settled down, looking at Emilie in a new light. "Isn't this something that's supposed to be in all those old stories of yours, Art?"

"That usually involves the dragon _kidnapping_ the princess, not rescuing her. And I thought you complained about those stories."

Alfred shrugged. "Well, yeah, because they all make us out to be big and dumb creatures. Doesn't mean I don't pay attention when you read them out loud."

"You could have mentioned that sooner…"

"Does this mean I can stay?" Emilie asked, shrinking slightly when two sets of eyes turned back to her, before returning to each other.

"We don't have a choice, really. There would be too many people eager to take advantage of your status should they find out, and too many risks if we said nothing and someone who knew you came along in the future. I could try looking into where you were originally bound, but it's extremely likely only a handful even know you've left the castle."

Alfred rested his head on the ground, huffing in amusement as he side-eyed the young princess. "Looks like you're stuck with us for now; hope you don't mind."

Well, it wasn't home, but Arthur and Alfred seemed nice enough. Maybe everything would be okay after all.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: I like dragons. I also like subverting fairy tail plots. Naturally, I found just the niche for this pairing in both. (And thank god I got rid of the stockholm potential because that is just ew).


	4. Cotton Candy: Friend in a Bottle

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: AmeCan, NyoAme, 2p Can, Genie AU, Cotton Candy

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

She found the old thing at a yardsale she'd driven by on the way home.

It was nothing spectacular at first glance - an old sealed jar that Eleanor had stumbled over (quite literally) while exploring, half hidden under one of the tables. Closer inspection revealed time-worn designs and symbols that were probably quite pretty and elaborate when it was first made, but now just left it a bit pathetic looking.

It would be a perfect gift for her cousin - he liked this sort of old stuff, anyways.

Her wallet was thirty dollars lighter when she slid back into her car, and she couldn't have been happier about it. (She'd also decided to grab an old little doll that was still in decent shape for her private collection.

Hey, there was nothing wrong with collecting dolls at her age, dangit!)

By the time she got home, she was exhausted, the long workweek finally catching up to her. She kicked her shoes off in the hallway haphazardly, the purse on her shoulder following them. The bag holding her new things was dumped more gently on the coffee table as she passed by, her feet taking her to the kitchen for a late meal a la microwaved leftovers.

It wasn't until the next morning, in fact, that she even remembered her purchase, having noticed it out of the corner of her eye while eating breakfast.

"These things need to be cleaned." Eleanor muttered to herself, nose crinkling at the dust on her hands when she pulled the old things out to get a better look at them. Really, was it that hard for people to clean their old junk before selling it?

She started with the doll, smiling as the washcloth revealed the smaller details that had been obscured before, finally setting it to the side once she was satisfied. The jar was cleaned soon after, even with the occasional pause to examine it closely.

"I wonder if there's something in it…" The weight and tightly sealed top both seemed to point to that being the case, although what it could be she had no clue. She doubted it was anything valuable - it'd been in a yardsale for crying out loud! - but nothing on the outside gave her any clue as to its contents.

Eventually she shrugged it off, setting it on the table as she got up to wash her hands. Whatever it was, it wasn't really her problem; if it was something special she'd probably know the second Alfred pried it open for himself.

What she did not expect upon coming back with a box to package it in was a weird (abet hot) young guy sitting on her couch, holding the old doll she'd left on the table up by one of its fragile arms so haphazardly it made her blood boil. Grabbing the closest thing she could find (which happened to be her umbrella), she approached quietly only to swing once she was within range.

"What the fuck was that for?" The man now sprawled out on the floor asked, matching her glower with one of his own.

"What do you think? You broke into my home and messed with my stuff, you freak!"

"You're the one who brought me in here!"

Eleanor scoffed. "Yeah, I just totally let some weirdo into my house without knowing about it."

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his baggy eyes. "I meant in the jar, stupid."

"Because that makes _so_ much more sense." She couldn't help but glance over to the jar, though, noticing that the lid had come off at some point since she'd set it down.

Okay, a little bit weird, considering how tightly that thing had been sealed before, but not her concern at the moment.

The stranger opened his eyes again, looking straight into hers and making her realize that all she really had to defend herself with against this nutjob was an empty box and an umbrella. Damnit, why was her bat in the closet when she needed it?

(Oh, right. _That_ incident.)

He held his wrist up, allowing her to notice the rather elaborate bracer on it. Only after noticing that did she also see the matching bracer on his other wrist and the choker around his throat. All three seemed to be made of highly decorated gold, three rubies a piece enclosed within the designs. Those each singlehandedly had to be the most expensive things she'd ever seen, and together-

"You see these? Until you either manage to come up with three wishes that don't go against my terms of service or you get rid of me and the jar through a fair trade, I'm stuck here whether either of us like it or not."

"Bullshit," Eleanor responded immediately. "If you're some sort of weird genie thing, then prove it right now by- fuck, I don't know, getting me a new TV or something."

He rolled his eyes. "Rule Seven - no riches or valuables. I can't just poof one into existence, and I'm pretty sure whoever I borrowed it from wouldn't be happy with either of us."

"Right, sure, whatever." She turned to go into the kitchen for the phone, hoping the delusional happy house escapee (because that's what he had to be, magic wasn't real) would stay long enough for her to make the call so she could return him before he went psycho-crazy instead.

...Only to slip and knock her head on the floor as the ground lost all friction under her. As she blinked herself out of her daze, she gathered enough strength of will to send a fierce glare at the guy who was watching with some amusement. Seriously, who did he think he was?

(...apparently, Alex.

And her new unwilling roommate.

Man was this going to be fun.)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: One of the random prompts/AUs I wrote down while browsing through the kink meme (which shockingly has a lot of good ideas once you filter out the porn aspects.) This one was a genie AU, and really other than one of the characters being switched out this could pretty much fit for that.

Basically, genie!Alex has a lot of restrictions on what he can and can't do (because the whole wish granting thing is a punishment for something, IDKW yet), and so he and Ellie and stuck together for a while. And then stuff happens and romance blooms. Eventually. Yeah.

(You know this is mostly for magical shenanigans.)


	5. Cookies N Cream: Princess' Dragon (2)

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: 1pAme/1pNyoCan, fantasy AU, dragon!Alfred

[Some very light implied onesided PruCan. It's easily ignorable if you don't want to see it that way.]

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Arthur! Hurry up! The baker will be sold out of pastries if we don't get there soon!" Emilie yelled down the path, earning a fierce glare in return.

"I'm certain five minutes won't hurt your chances of stuffing your face with those sugar-laden nightmares you insist on getting every time we come here," Arthur replied, deliberately not picking up his pace and holding back a grin as she puffed her cheeks out in childish frustration.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" She patted self-consciously at her hair, which had been cleaned and braided as neatly as she could manage for their latest visit to Meracia. It was a week from their cavernous home on foot, so they only went a few times a year, but the young woman enjoyed it each and every time. It was so big and colorful and full of people from across the world, thriving thanks to its massive ports and open trade policies. She never knew what there would be to see, so she did her best to see it all in the two days they were there to stock up on supplies they couldn't get in one of the smaller towns.

"You aren't exactly a lady yourself, poppet." The warlock allowed himself a small grin as she huffed, although she was grinning as well.

"And whose fault is that, now?"

"Alfred's, definitely. I at least _tried_ to teach you manners, not that any of it seemed to stick."

They only paused in their jabs at each other to pass through the gateway into the city, which was really more of a ceremonial thing than an actual attempt at keeping the less than stellar types out. Anyone could have mistaken the two for father and daughter, what with their similar flaxen hair and soft faces, and it was a mistake they were more than happy to encourage for multiple reasons.

Only when the bakery came into view did Emilie leave his side, darting ahead with a grin while Arthur shook his head in amusement. For all she'd grown into a fine young woman, she was still much a child at heart, just like Alfred. In most cases he would pin all blame on the dragon for her attitude, but to himself he would admit that he had some part in her rather headstrong and near-boyish demeanor.

Figuring she would be a while, Arthur ducked into a nearby inn, intending to purchase rooms and something to drink while catching up on the latest news. Keeping up on world matters wasn't easy when one lived far from the main cities, but that was part of the reason for such visits. He settled at a table near the door - it made it easier to hear the rest of the floor than the corner, and was slightly less suspicious.

Most of the conversations were idle chatter - friends discussing their week over drinks, complaints about the latest rise or drop in prices of goods, thoughts on the latest noble trends. (Apparently the house of Jones had had a scare when the heiress had attempted manned flight from her bedroom window, but as she'd survived with a broken leg and bruised ego, there was little to worry about.)

"Small fortune, I heard." Arthur normally would have ignored the words, but the glance of cloth he saw when his gaze flickered to the table next to him was not from Meracia, but rather their western neighbor. Not rare, but not quite common either.

"Can't believe he thinks the kid might still be alive after this long - you'd think if someone had a member of the royal family captive they'd've come forward for a ransom before now."

"Mmmph." The lighter-haired man knocked back his drink, setting the empty pint back on the table with a clatter. "Guy's probably desperate; not like he can expect another heir with his wife gone."

The darker-haired man frowned thoughtfully. "...how many do you think will try and claim the reward?"

A snort of amusement. "How many people have young daughters with violet eyes? They aren't exactly the most common trait in the world."

Arthur's blood ran cold, his hand gripping the cup tight. He had a very good feeling he knew who they were talking about…

"Arthur? Are you alright?" He looked up from his drink to Emilie, faking a smile of relief.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a bit tired is all, dear."

She pursed her lips, but didn't refute his dismissal. "Do you want to take a rest, dad?"

"I probably should…" He left the payment for his drink on the table, ignoring the questioning gaze on his back until they were settled on the two small beds in the room.

"What was with that back there?" Emilie was frowning, basket of sweets set aside.

Arthur pinched at the bridge of his nose, frown lines decorating his mouth and shut eyes. "Apparently the king of Arcada has recently put out a reward for the return of his long lost daughter."

Her jaw dropped, eyes widening. Her voice came out breathlessly. "He _what_?"

His gaze rose to hers. "For whatever reason, your father still believes you alive and wants you back, and is willing to pay a small fortune to anyone who does so."

Emilie stared at her lap, teeth worrying at her bottom lip. Her hands gripped tightly to her plain blue dress, and her ankles crossed and uncrossed restlessly. "Why now? It's been ten years without a word, and suddenly he wants me back?"

"I couldn't say one way or another." Arthur leaned forward to rest a hand on hers, startling her into looking up to his smile. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to; neither Alfred nor I will begrudge you for whatever decision you make."

"I don't want to go back." She stated automatically, before glancing back down to her lap. "I mean, I know that if I don't go back there'll be a lot of fighting for the throne once the king dies, and that if I do go I can make it safe for you and Alfred and others to return to the kingdom, but…"

Arthur had not allowed her to slack on her education, royal or not, and though she complained she was also thankful that she was able to understand how the world she might have grown up in worked. But whenever she thought of going back to the castle, she remembered the suffocating walls of people and stone and something in her chest tightened until she couldn't breathe-

It was scary. She didn't want to go back to that feeling of entrapment, but if she didn't...

The consequences were frightening to imagine.

"...I don't think I'm ready yet."

Arthur pat her hand. "Then I'll say no more on the matter, besides warning you to be careful. In fact…"

His hand moved up to press between her eyes, and he muttered a short phrase in the old tongue. Her eyes watered and grew fuzzy for a moment, before returning to normal. Glancing into the mirror, she could see her eyes now looked as blue as Alfred's scales, although if she looked hard she could sort of see through the spell due to her long exposure to his magic.

"No one should notice, but don't let them look too long. It'll wear off after a few days, but we'll be well on our way home, so that shouldn't be cause for concern."

"Thank you, Arthur." Emilie smiled, knowing that this was his way of showing he cared; at least he wasn't forbidding her from even leaving the caverns like she'd nearly feared (not that that would stop her, but it would be a pain until he finally relented).

"Get some rest; we'll get started early tomorrow so that you have some time to explore before we leave."

Her smile grew. "You're awesome sometimes."

He laughed softly. "I know."

~0~0~

Most magic shows hosted in the capital were rather gaudy affairs, the wizard performing for audiences with dazzling deception and mystical mystery. Most performers of their type were capable of lighting candles from a distance and changing the colors of people's clothing. It was suitably impressive for the young and inexperienced, a decent show of the basics of magic.

Emilie, who had grown up with a fully realized warlock and a powerful magical creature, found it rather boring. It was easy to recognize a washout like the man she'd stopped to watch, not even bothering to clap with the crowd when he managed to get the flames from the candles to hop to the bird-shaped wooden frame sitting on the table before him.

"You don't seem very impressed by the show."

She startled, turning to look at the man who'd approached her, giving him a weak smile in response to his more natural grin. "Ah, my father- he knows magic, so…"

"You grew up with it, so you don't see what's so exciting about it."

She blushed, trying not to look directly at his (admittedly handsome) face. "Pretty much."

"What made you stop to watch then?"

She shrugged, still looking away from the red gaze watching her. "I guess I was just curious about what everyone was watching."

"You don't live near here then?" At the surprised glance, he shrugged. "The shows are pretty common around here, so if you aren't used to them then you probably don't come here too often."

"I live near the mountains… my father and I only come here a few times a year. He gave me some time to explore the city since we finished getting what we needed early."

"On your own?" He frowned. "That doesn't seem very safe, especially for a young woman like yourself."

"He trusts me to be careful." Emilie frowned, hoping he wasn't going to turn his nose up at her for exploring on her own. He might be nice to look at, but there were some things she wouldn't put up with. "I'm old enough to handle myself."

He conceded with a tilt of his head. "Still, there are some areas of town I wouldn't trust your safety to were you to wander into them by accident. If you'd like, I could show you around the city so that you know where those areas are so that you can avoid them on future trips. I can also show you some of the nicer areas that you might not have seen."

She bit her lip, thinking. There was still time before she had to return to the inn, and a chance to have a guided tour of the place would make it easier for her to get around later… plus the man was rather nice to look at and speak with…

"My father shouldn't mind as long as I'm back in time."

He grinned, offering a hand with a light bow. "Well then, may I know the name of the young lady I'm going to be escorting today?"

She place her hand into his after a second's hesitance. "Emma. And may I ask who will be escorting me today?"

He placed a brief kiss to the back of her hand, making her blush harder than before. "Gilbert. Shall we begin?"

The next several hours were spent chatting amiably, Emilie's small crush blooming further as she got to know the young knight. He was apparently visiting family in the area on a temporary leave from his duties, but planned to return soon. He'd travelled far from his home in the line of duty, serving king and country to the best of his abilities all the while. She herself gave an overview of her life, leaving out smaller details like Alfred being a dragon and her makeshift family living in the caverns tucked well away in the mountains themselves.

She hadn't really realized how much she'd missed just being with people outside of her family until now, and found herself craving more. She was leaving first thing in the morning, though, and he returning the following week to his duties; they'd likely never meet again.

They stopped before the inn, Emilie tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you for the tour - I had a really nice time."

"I enjoyed it too." Gilbert's grin had rarely dropped entirely throughout the trip, only changing in intensity over time. "You seem to know a lot more than most of the people I've met."

"My father usually lets me read his books when he's not using them, so I picked up a few things." She shrugged sheepishly, hoping she hadn't given herself away.

"I see. It's been great getting to know you, Emma. Maybe someday we'll meet again, if fate smiles on us."

She smiled, looking back at him. "I think I'd like that a lot, Sir Gilbert. Safe journeys to you."

"Safe journeys to you as well."

With one last smile, Emilie turned and entered the building, too busy humming happily over the events of the day to notice the thoughtful gaze looking after her.

Then again, it wasn't like she could have noticed her eye's reflection briefly darken to something they shouldn't be.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: So I should be working on my end-of-term projects, but I brain decided 'nah, let's work on more AmeCan stuff instead.' So I really had no choice in this, you see. It's not my fault!

Anyways, I think this story will be four parts altogether? Not a hundred percent positive yet, but it's seeming that way right now. Sorry if this part isn't as good as the first. :C


	6. Vanilla: Sick Day

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: AmeCan, fluff

Someone wanted sick!Alfred with Mattie taking care of him. I can do that.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Alfred bit down hard on his lip to keep silent as his head throbbed painfully. He'd been perfectly fine when he'd gotten up (besides feeling a bit stuffy headed, but that was the norm considering his economy at the moment), although he had sort of skipped breakfast in his rush to get to the meeting with enough time to prepare his speech for the day.

(The fact that his stomach had rebelled at the mere thought of eating his usual meal had nothing to do with it, really.)

His side was pinched tightly, causing him to jolt and look guiltily to his neighboring seat. Matthew's previously chastizing glare faded a bit at it, looking him over. "Alfred, you alright?"

He grinned, teeth clenched as another wave hit him. "Just a bit tired; haven't had any coffee yet."

The Canadian's frown deepened, brows furrowed as he kept staring. Alfred fidgeted, looking away to see what he'd been missing. Apparently the person who'd been speaking (China, right? Why couldn't he remember…) had just finished, and several Nations were staring at him expectantly.

Oh, right. His turn. He so had this.

Ignoring the brief spin of the room as he stood up, he made his way to the podium, trying to remember what his speech was abou- right, economy, it was always economy. His notes were useless - they'd probably been printed from a bad printer, he could barely read them. Whatever, he could wing it, he'd done it before.

"Right, so this financial year is starting out great - we're starting to bring the debt under control…" He blinked, quieting as he tried to refocus on the others. "...should be able to start working on it by…"

He barely felt his head hit the podium on his way down.

~0~0~0~

Alfred woke up to fuzzy darkness. It took him a moment to realize he was staring at the back of his eyelids, and somehow managed to get them open enough to look at a slightly less fuzzy darkness.

His room? Wasn't he just at the meeting, or was that a dream? And why did his head hurt so much?

Ow, thinking wasn't helping. He shut his eyes again, trying to ignore the ache going through his entire body that was making itself known. Rolling onto his side, he grabbed a pillow and curled around it, reaching desperately for more sleep.

The knock on his door rang in his head, making him groan and curl further into himself. Light streamed in from the opening briefly, but thankfully it didn't fall across his face before it vanished with a click.

"Alfred, are you up yet?"

Mattie? He forced himself to reply, but even to his ears it came out as more of a groan than a word. The sound of something being set down on the bedside counter was followed by a dip in the bed beside him, a weight he desperately wanted to cling to right now if not for the lack of will to move at all. The covers were pulled away from his head, a cold hand pressing to his cheeks and forehead.

"Looks like your fever's going down…" The Canadian muttered quietly, ruffling his twin's hair against mumbled protests before turning back to the tray he'd brought in with him. "I made you something simple - I didn't know what you could keep down, so I figured soup would be safe."

"Y' didn' hav' to…"

Matthew huffed. "You're sick; you think I'm going to make you take care of yourself? Seriously, you shouldn't have even come to the meeting if you were feeling sick…"

Alfred was rolled gently onto his back, and with encouragement sat up with his back pressed against some pillows. A bowl was pressed into his hands, although he could tell his brother was still holding it with one hand even as he handed the American the spoon with the other.

Slower than he would admit, he managed to get most of the bowl down before he started to nod off again. The bowl and spoon were taken away, and as he curled back under the sheets he felt Matthew's hand gently rubbing circles in his hair. Shutting his eyes as Matthew started humming quietly, Alfred allowed himself a smile as he drifted off.

Maybe it wasn't too terrible to be sick after all...

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: No comment, just heaps of fluffy love. God these two are cuties.


	7. Mint Chocolate Chip: Domesticity

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: 2pAme1pNyoCan, demon/angel AU

Really really sorry for not filling this request before now... also sorry for the shortish fill.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"I'm home." Tommy called out to the house as he shut the door behind him with his foot, kicking off his shoes in the hall as he made his way towards the living room.

"Don't leave your shoes in the in the middle of the hall again," A softer voice reprimanded as he entered. "You know what happened last time."

"It's not my fault your old man didn't look where he was going and tripped; I thought angels were supposed to be graceful and all that shit." Never the less, his fingers snapped, a brief pop and clatter sounding behind him. He leaned down, planting a kiss to the top of Emilie's head. "How'd things go today?"

"A few more children are going to be taken in by good families by the end of the month; I've made sure all the paperwork will go smoothly for them."

"Mmm, that's good." Tommy rested his arms along the back of the couch to better watch her quietly weave a spell of protection through the matching necklaces in her hand. "Those for those twins you've been watching?"

"Yes," She admitted, a thumb rubbing the small wood crosses. "They've been through so much… I figured a little bit of good luck wouldn't be too much interference."

He chuckled. "You're such a softie, getting attached to humans all the time."

"Like you don't." Emilie muttered, pale blonde wings ruffling in as she turned to give him a glare with no heat behind it.

"Can't help that they're interesting nowadays." He took advantage of her attention to give her another kiss, this time to her lips.

"How did your day go?" She asked when they broke apart.

He shrugged, dark wings shuffling with the gesture. "Got a few politicians to look the other way for some deals, nothing special. 'm much more interested in you right now, babe." The comment was punctuated with a cocky grin, prompting her to roll her eyes.

"I'll think about it. Did you want to go feed the ducks tomorrow?"

"After we stop by the orphanage to drop those off?" He didn't fail to miss the slightly guilty look she sported at being caught. "Sure, that sounds like a plan. Maybe we can get some sherbet at that ice cream stand while we're there."

"Only if you pay for it."

"I can probably do that."

"Good." Emilie leaned over for another lingering kiss, her hand clasping his so that the matching metal bands on their fingers touched. "Now, I think it was your turn to make dinner…?"

Tommy groaned. "Thought you'd forgotten by now."

"I never forget a free meal." She smiled, tapping the side of his nose. "Now get to it, I know you're hungry too."

"Cheapskate." He muttered with no venom, making a show of reluctance as he finally stood up straight, stretching his arms and wings out completely before letting them fall back into place as he walked towards the doorway.

"I love you too." She laughed to herself as he left, shaking her head at her husband's antics.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: Yeah, I have two end of term projects to present next week. Forgive me for not writing much lately. I'll be back by next week hopefully!


	8. Vanilla: Icemage

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: AmeCan, fantasy AU, knight!Alfred and mage!Matthew

Something I did with my friend a while ago – we called it the Icemage AU because Mattie was, well, an Ice Mage. Sadly, he deleted a lot of HIS stuff, but I at least have all my own drabbles to share!

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Alfred groaned as he climbed the last slope to the isolated tower, wishing that mages weren't quite so keen on making themselves as hard to access as possible; really, was it that hard to ask for at least a nice open path with no steep climbs?

And really, why was he the one assigned to find this 'Matthew' anyways? It didn't even sound like a mage-ish name, but more like some shop owner or healer or something. He privately bet the guy was an old fart like all the other magic users he'd seen come by the palace, talking in riddles and showing off with rather cheap party trick magics to impress the nobles.

Why did Arthur need this guy again? Heck if he remembered.

Naturally, upon actually finding Matthew in his tower and seeing how young (and attractive) he was, his first comment to the other was "Hey, you're actually kinda cute."

Not the best way to introduce oneself to a mage with some serious ice powers at his command, even if the flush that ran across his cheeks before he cast the spell was worth it.

~0~0~

He saw Alfred shivering even under the warm blanket he had around him; although the knight tried to hide it, Matthew was too experienced with the effects the cold of his northern home had on others to miss the obvious signs.

Alfred startled as the blanket lifted and arms wrapped around him, flushing and feeling warmer than even the shared body heat could account for as Matthew settled into his side under the sheet.

"I don't want you catching a chill," Matthew explained, and Alfred gave a jerk of his head, turning away to hide his blush.

~0~0~

They were ambushed in the middle of dinner; Alfred had barely caught the sound of crunching wood before the bandits were on them, his sword already pulling out of his sheathe to defend himself and Matthew before he consciously registered the enemy. His first swing was caught by the dagger of his opponent, and when the other dagger came around he caught the hand with his own and, using his impressive strength, broke the man's wrist before placing a well-aimed kick into the other's stomach and knocking him out.

Turning to Matthew with his sword raised to face his next opponent, he stopped, slack-jawed, to see the others had all been dealt with, locked in icy prisons with shocked expressions; as the mage turned to him, Alfred privately vowed to never get on Matthew's bad side if he could help it.

~0~0~

Alfred winced as the bandages tightened around his wounded leg, but waited patiently for Matthew to finish wrapping the wound before pulling it back.

"Thanks," he told the mage quietly, having expected to have to wrap it himself.

"You saved my life; it was the least I could do. Just because I'm an ice mage doesn't mean I'm heartless."

~0~0~

"Matt, that's not how you hold a sword."

Matthew jumped, turning sheepishly and pretending he hadn't been swinging around a sword of ice he'd made on a whim after seeing how Alfred fought with his own blade. "Well, I never really spent time with the soldiers while I lived in the city…"

Alfred just shook his head. "If you wanted to learn, you could have asked. Here, let me show you the ready stance-"

Matthew did a good job of hiding his blush as Alfred's hands settled on his own, moving the blade into position.

~0~0~

Matthew has raised his hood a bit higher, keeping his vision straight ahead; he knows without looking that the people he and Alfred are passing are staring at him with no small amount of disgust.

Alfred hadn't known - couldn't have known - that the people in this small town were largely magiphobic, but it was still easy to read the guilt in the knight's face, and Matthew gave him a reassuring grin that he didn't really feel himself.

Only when they were well away from the town did either relax, silently agreeing that other such towns would be avoided for the remained of the trip.

~0~0~

The question comes up over breakfast; Alfred had been curious for a while, but it was only today he felt comfortable enough to ask.

Matthew stared at his companion for a moment before looking down into his bowl, silent for another moment before answering.

Alfred had assumed it was something to do with Matthew's talent with ice spells; he was right, in a way, but hearing the story of bloody war made him begin to understand why Matthew wanted no part of political games anymore.

~0~0~

When the ice below Alfred breaks, sending the knight into the chilled waters beneath, Matthew didn't hesitate to jump in after, ignoring the cold in order to catch his friend. With a draw of his magic he was able to drag them both out of the hole and to the shore; stripping the shivering, still ice-shocked Alfred of his wet clothes took little time, nor did redressing him in warmer clothing and wrapping him in both their cloaks.

It took only another minute to get a fire started and Alfred sitting close enough to it to absorb its friendly warmth… then the waiting game began.

(When he felt still shivering, but thankful arms wrap around him later, he knew Alfred would be okay.)

~0~0~

Alfred knocked on the door, wincing slightly at the muffled "I'm not hungry" from the other side. Since they'd gotten here Matthew had become more and more withdrawn, reaching the same frosty aloofness that had marked their first days traveling together. And, Alfred knew, it was mostly his fault for dragging Matthew back here despite his protests against it.

He was determined to at least try to make it up, if only because he was really missing the Matthew he had gotten to know, who laughed at his antics when he thought Al wasn't looking, who had been willing to learn to swing a sword from him, who had-

Alfred cut off the train of thought before it could go further, knowing that his chances at anything like that were long gone at this point, but perhaps the friendship was still salvageable. Shaking his head, he pushed the door open, mildly surprised the mage hadn't iced the door shut.

"That's good then, because I forgot to grab something from the kitchens before coming up here."

Matthew turned, eyes widening, emotions flashing across them rapidly before he closed himself off. "What are you doing here?"

Alfred shrugged, opening the door further but not entering yet. "I thought I'd come and see how you were doing, since we haven't talked since we got here."

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine, so you can go now." Matthew clipped. However, the light sheen of sweat was just now becoming apparent to the knight as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer lighting.

"Are you sure? You look like you're starting to overheat. I could go see if I can get someone to draw you a cold bath-"

"I said I'm fine! Get out!" Matthew almost shouted, fists clenching.

"Mattie, I'm just trying to help-"

"Bullshit! If you were trying to help me, you would have left me in my tower when I told you no! If you wanted to help me, you would have let me go before we got here and I got locked in this gilded cage 'for my own protection'! The only person you're concerned about is the king, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to think otherwise!"

Alfred felt his stomach twist at the rage directed at him, swallowing before taking a step in to try and help him calm down before he overheated. Matthew had every right to be mad at him, he knew, but he hadn't expected it to hurt this much.

A hand was raised towards him, glowing blue. "I said. get. out!"

That was all the warning Alfred had before he was smothered in cold, the shock making him fall to his knees and gasp as his body desperately tried to keep itself from shutting down. After what felt like hours but was probably seconds, the cold left, leaving him shivering on the floor as he tried not to relive that nearly-fatal plunge into the frozen river from a month prior.

"A-Al?" He thought he heard Matthew mutter, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to check. "Oh God, oh God oh god oh god, why didn't you run you idiot-"

A prickling sting about the size of a hand came to rest on his shoulder, another resting against his cheek. His eyes opened just enough to see fearful violet gazing back, and somehow he found the energy to manage a small smile.

Matthew let out a sob, moving forward to wrap Alfred in a tight hug, face pressed into his shoulder as he shook with tears. Alfred brought a protesting arm up to wrap around the slighter man's shoulders, holding him as a few of his own tears slipped loose.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: I should write more for this, but we'll see. I can probably bug my friend into writing more if I do, so... ehehe...


	9. Cookie Dough: Waiting In The Rain

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: 1pNyoAme1pCan, human AU

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"_Well, fuck you too, Williams!" _

_Slam!_

It'd been fifteen minutes since Eleanor Jones had slammed the door in her boyfriend's face, ending an argument that had started as a minor spat over groceries and ended up about pretty much everything. She huffed, still simmering as she kicked her feet, making the puddle growing under them spray out and away from her.

She could have been in a hotel by now, warm and dry and most importantly far away from Matthew's apartment. But even with the rain pelting down on her, soaking through her clothing and hair and shoes, she found herself unable to get up from where she sat on the steps to start making the walk.

'I should call a taxi,' she thought to herself, ceasing her kicking so she could slump over, head in hands. 'I don't even know where the closest hotel is to here, or if I can walk to it.'

Eleanor made no movement for her phone, though, leaving her to continue staring out at nothing in particular while she wallowed in the summer rain.

Her pride, wounded as it was right now, refused to consider going back up the stairs and apologize. Even as she cooled down enough to think over the fight, she could not bring herself to admit she could have been even a little bit in the wrong. It was stupid, but for now all she really wanted was to blame everything that had happened on him and his stupid macho 'I must repress my true feelings' attitude.

Her boyfriend might have been too stubborn to talk about things that were bothering him most of the time, but Eleanor knew she was no better in some cases. It wasn't healthy, for either of them - all it took was one wrong comment and then everything boiled over -

She wiped roughly at her eyes, scowling fiercely. God, this entire thing was just so stupid! She and Mattie were like bread and butter most of the time, so why did they always end up blowing up at some point? It wasn't fair - she and Mattie should be happy, but they - she - just kept fucking things up…

Maybe they just weren't meant to be, and this was the universe's way of letting her know she was being stupid for acting on all her fluttery feelings she got when he smiled or laughed. Lord knows it wouldn't be the first time she'd had poor taste in boyfriends - Ivan, Yao, heck, even Arthur had all seemed great at the time but had barely lasted a month apiece.

Yeah, she'd been dumb to get her hopes up when they'd reached their third month with few bumps to rough things up. And maybe the way he treated her like a lady but not a damsel was something she'd never gotten from the others, but that didn't mean anything if they couldn't even keep it together over something ridiculous like this.

'I wonder what Matt's doing right now...'

Knowing him, he'd already burned through all of his anger, and was now lying in bed cuddling that polar bear plush she'd won for him at the carnival they'd gone to last month. He adored the thing to bits, even if he'd been embarrassed at first to have it shoved into his chest by his entirely-too-smug girlfriend in front of other people. Matthew loved soft, sweet things…

Neither of which she was, Eleanor glumly reflected, the smile that'd started to soften her features and her mood disappearing with the thought. She was shaped by a lifetime of Little League and brash enough to face off against even the toughest of guys in school and come out on top. Not to say she didn't appreciate the occasional girly indulgence - no one liked gross nails! - but someone who could knock a linebacker for a loop was probably not what anyone could consider 'soft'.

He probably thought she was long gone by now. There was no reason to stay here. She really should be getting out of the rain before she got sick.

The rain abruptly stopped. She looked up to see a red and white umbrella blocking her view of the clouds.

"Hey." Matthew's voice was soft, almost drowned out by the rain battering against the fabric.

"Hey." She looked back down to her feet, not saying anything as he settled down on the steps next to her.

"You could've gone to a hotel, you know."

"I know."

They were content to watch the rain fall, the constant patter filling in the silence where they couldn't.

"...I'm sorry I snapped at you." Eleanor mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest. "I know you hate it when I bring up Francis."

"I shouldn't have brought up your boyfriends either - I think we're even there."

She snorted. "We're a real pair, aren't we? Just keep going through this dumb circle of playing nice and practically ripping each other's throats out."

Matthew shifted next to her. "I- wanted to talk about that. About us."

Her throat tightened. This was it. They'd finally managed to break the last straw.

A deep breath, followed by a hand clasping hers. "I don't want to lose you, Ellie, but we have to stop fighting like this."

Eleanor tightly gripped the hand holding hers, worrying at her lip. "Yeah, we do. I don't-" A swallow. "I don't want to lose you, either."

"That's- that's good." Matthew released a sigh she hadn't realized he was holding. "I- I thought you'd be gone when I looked out here. Figured you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me after- that."

"I thought I would be, too. Guess I just couldn't walk away this time."

His hand slipped out of hers as he moved, his arms wrapping around her while his face pressed into the curve of her neck. "...we should go inside to talk. You're soaked."

She chuckled despite herself. "You're the one who's hugging me, though."

"I know."

He pulled away, reclaiming the umbrella as he stood up and offering her a helping hand. Her legs were numb from sitting on the concrete steps, and her chest was still roiling, but the soft apology he placed on her lips helped a little with both.

"Let's do it right this time."

"Alright."

It wasn't quite happily ever after, but it was good enough for now.

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AN: So this prompt here [ hetalia-kink (dreamwidth) org/82345 html?thread=508068009#cmt508068009 ] was asking for a post-argument scene where one of the characters ends up waiting in the rain outside instead of leaving. I decided 'what the hey' and decided to write a bit about an issue my friend and I agree would likely be an issue in any early AmeCan relationship.

That is to say, both of them sucking about talking about everything that's bothering them. Which, of course, leads to things eventually going 'boom'.


	10. Fudge Ripple: Hello Mr Sunshine

AmeCan Ice Creamery (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: 1pAme2pAme, human AU, background 1pCan2pCan

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Tommy could readily admit that the wedding had not been quite as bad as he'd been expecting. Sure, there were too many people he'd had to resist opening his mouth around lest he piss them off, and sure the happy new couple was so disgustingly cheerful it made Oliver's pastries taste plain in comparison, but overall it was, well…

It was okay.

(He was only thankful he'd been spared the honor of being Best Man - there were plenty of things he'd do for the asshole, but going up to the podium to describe exactly why you were so happy for the new couple was definitely not one of them.)

Right now Tommy was nursing a drink near the refreshment table, wishing it was alcoholic. He'd long ago been drained of any interest in socializing with all these people, and it was too early to slip away without someone noticing and likely getting on his case for it. Alex and Matthew were at a table across the room, close together and practically oozing happiness from every pore.

He looked away, frowning into his cup. Really, what was keeping him from leaving again? He'd come to the damn wedding, been all supportive of his friend and all that - what else was there for him to do?

'_Well,_' he thought, looking back up to the crowd that was dancing to something not quite at the frenzied pace he was used to. '_I could always see if there's anyone down for a little fun._'

His dark eyes scanned the room, evaluating and cataloging each form as his gaze passed over it. There were several he'd definitely consider a good lay based on looks, but Tommy was fairly certain several of them had come in with significant others, and the rest seemed too uptight to consider it.

Damnit, weren't these things supposed to be a good way to meet other people or something? Heck if he knew.

"Hey, can you hand me one of the glasses next to you?"

Tommy barely startled out of his thoughts, shaking his head as he casually grabbed one of the glasses of cider next to him. He handed it to the other without looking, muttering dismissively, "Here ya go, buddy."

"Thanks." The other man's hand seemed to linger on his just a second too long, prompting Tommy to look up.

'_Damn, hello there sunshine,_' was his first thought as the blond turned to the table to grab one of the opened cider bottles, pouring himself a drink before moving to sit against the wall next to him.

"Haven't seen you out there at all today," Sunshine commented, sipping at his drink. "Not the social type or something?"

"Nah," Tommy had finally found his voice again, wondering how he'd missed this guy when he'd freakin' been the Best Man for Matthew earlier. "Just not the type of place I usually like to socialize."

"Ah," Blondie replied, as if that explained everything.

Tommy licked his lips, missing the feel of his usual tongue piercing while wondering how long it would take to convince the other to leave with him. "Hey-"

"Alfred!" A woman slightly older than the two of them approached, smiling widely at the blond. "Don't tell me you've forgotten you owe me a dance!"

"Heh, sorry Liz," Alfred rubbed the back of his head, grinning apologetically. "Was just taking a break to get something to drink."

"Who's your friend?"

Alfred blinked, glancing back over to the brunet. "Ah-"

"Tommy Smith." He grinned, biting back his annoyance at being interrupted. "What's your name, babe?"

As expected, her face immediately scrunched into distaste. "Nothing you need to know. C'mon, Al, I heard the next song is one you like."

Tommy waved the two off, replying to the silent shrug and smile sent his way with a small shrug of his own. He had the rest of the evening to wait for Mr. Sunshine to be available again, and there was no use in wasting the time that could be spent devising the perfect attack plan.

No, weddings weren't too bad after all.

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AN: Yeah, I'm sort of on a roll here with the drabbles but to be fair I have like a hundred prompts and ideas I want to write so this is just me trying to work on a small chunk of them whoops…

Anyways, yeah, Alfred and Tommy meeting at an RVP wedding. I might write more in the future, but this was all I could think of for now. Hope you like anyways~


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